They couldn't possibly ask their allies to go to the Mantis Highlands and the Dread Wastes. The pandaren couldn't bring themselves to say such a thing, especially considering their former imperial stature.
"Emissary of the Celestials, do you have a region in mind?" The second Golden Lotus elder returned the question to Galen.
"Vale of Eternal Blossoms!"
Galen spoke a name that caught the Golden Lotus elders off guard, causing them to stand up from their chairs.
"Are you referring to the Vale of Eternal Blossoms?"
"Respected Emissary, since you've heard of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, you must know that this region was sealed by our Emperor Shaohao with the four August Celestials ten thousand years ago. Without the Celestials' permission, we cannot enter. And to reopen the Celestial Gate, all four Celestials must be united!"
"No problem. If you have no objections, I will invite the four Celestials."
After rising, the elders didn't sit down again. Instead, they paced back and forth in front of Galen, contemplating the pros and cons.
The Vale of Eternal Blossoms was once the true capital of the pandaren. Later, this valley was sealed by Emperor Shaohao and the four Celestials.
At the time, Emperor Shaohao publicly announced that the reason was to make this lush valley the pandaren's last refuge, not to be used lightly.
Of course, the deeper reason was that the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, which looked like a paradise, was the place where the heart of Y'Shaarj was sealed. This was a very unstable factor.
Now, opening the Vale of Eternal Blossoms is the general trend. Recently, Pandaria has not been peaceful. The mantid are attacking the Serpent's Spine, and even breached a section of the Four Winds Valley's wall!
In addition, after the news of Lei Shen's resurrection spread, the mogu in Kun-Lai Summit became restless. Even the usually barbaric yaungol tribes began to plunder pandaren villages, and a large number of pandaren refugees began to flee.
As a sect in charge of pandaren political affairs, the Golden Lotus is responsible for resettling refugees. The Four Winds Valley is not the safest place. Some refugees chose the more distant Jade Forest, but many more refugees are now homeless, putting great pressure on the elders.
One of the main reasons the Golden Lotus wanted the Alliance army to garrison Stoneplow was to have the Alliance share some of the pressure from the yaungol in the Windward Isle region.
Unfortunately, Galen didn't fall for it, so opening the Vale of Eternal Blossoms to resettle refugees was a good option.
The premise is that the Celestials unanimously agree to open this magical valley!
Thinking of this, they exchanged glances and reached a consensus.
"In that case, we have no objections!"
The process of persuading the Celestial gods was even smoother than with the Golden Lotus. Galen promised that he had a way to suppress the heart of Y'Shaarj. The four Celestials had placed their hopes for saving Pandaria on Galen, so they agreed to open the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.
With everything ready, the four Celestials set off for the south of Kun-Lai Summit, where the Celestial Gate was the only passage from Kun-Lai Summit to the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.
The Golden Lotus was very capable. In just a few days, they spread the news that the Vale of Eternal Blossoms was about to open throughout Kun-Lai Summit, allowing refugees to go to this paradise to recuperate before returning home after the war.
As soon as this news came out, it caused a pandaren sensation. They had grown up listening to the legends of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.
The most popular of these was that this magical valley contained a magical holy spring, and there were even rumors that these magical springs could create great miracles.
Therefore, a large number of pandaren whose villages and homes had been destroyed by the yaungol and mantid, only carried some easy-to-carry luggage, and some even only carried a few clothes and a few days of rations before setting off.
Without a doubt, regardless of the truth of the legends, the refugees did need a safe place to rest, and they couldn't wait to know if the legends of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms were true.
"Galen! Hurry up, I can't miss this grand event no matter what. It must be very spectacular. We have to go to the Celestial Gate at the southern foot of Kun-Lai Summit as soon as possible!"
Lorewalker Cho was urging Galen's family. For a lorewalker, being able to enter the Vale of Eternal Blossoms in their lifetime was simply a dream come true, and he had to go.
Chen Stormstout and Li Li were ready. They were also accompanied by a female pandaren, their new friend, Aeria Sungazer.
"I heard that the last time the Celestial Gate was opened was many generations ago?" Chen turned to ask Aeria Sungazer. Chen and Aeria had gotten along well during this time, and the two had become close friends who could talk about anything. Chen would seek Aeria out for answers to any questions he had.
"That's right. The mantid invasion thousands of years ago brought our defenses to the brink of collapse, and the yaungol took advantage of the chaos at that time as well."
Aeria recalled the classics she had read and continued, "Yu'lon pitied our ancestors. In a moment of crisis, she joined Niuzao and Xuen to drive the mantid off the walls. It was also at that time that the Celestial Gate opened, allowing a large number of refugees to survive the crisis."
Chen nodded in understanding, secretly sighing that the biggest threats on the Wandering Isle were the hozen and tigers. Life in Pandaria was much more exciting than on the Wandering Isle.
"This is a historic moment, Chen. What do you think is waiting for us inside the gate?" Aeria was as excited as Lorewalker Cho, asking Chen with a look of longing.
Of course, it was useless to ask the priestess. Chen was not a pandaren native to Pandaria, and he knew nothing about the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.
"Old Cho, what's the rush? The four Celestials won't unseal the Celestial Gate in advance until I arrive!"
Galen calmly led a tall yak out of the Shado-Pan Monastery's menagerie.
A huge saddle was placed on the back of the yak, enough to seat three people.
Galen jumped onto the saddle on the yak's back. Alleria picked up Arathor, and Sylvanas held Legolas, nimbly jumping onto the seats on both sides of the yak's back.
Chi-Ji's offspring, Chi-Chi, spread its wings and flew directly above the yak, landing on the yak's horns.
"Awoo…"
The white tiger Banfu stretched out its two front legs, revealing its front paws, and deftly grabbed the long hair on the yak's legs and climbed onto the yak's neck.
"Moo…"
Now it was Niuzao's cub, Zao'zao, who was anxious. It had no wings, no claws, it couldn't fly or climb, so it could only call out anxiously.
Hearing this cry, the yak showed a respectful look in its bovine eyes, kneeling on its knees with its two front legs on the ground, lowering its head, signaling Zao'zao to go from its head.
After everyone was on the yak, Galen flicked the reins: "Full, let's go!"
Galen and his group departed from the Shado-Pan Monastery in the northwestern mountains of Kun-Lai Summit, heading towards the Temple of the White Tiger, located directly south on the Kun-Lai Plains. If they were riding flying mounts, they could arrive in a single day.
However, Galen chose to ride yaks, traveling overland to the Temple of the White Tiger, allowing the children to see more of the scenery along the way.
This would take more time.
Moreover, the journey wasn't safe. After the crises of the Sha and the Mantid broke out one after another, the Yaungol also began to rampage across Kun-Lai Summit, claiming that Kun-Lai Summit had always been Yaungol land. Many Pandaren villages along the way had been burned to the ground by them.
Galen's heart stirred. These Yaungol, like the Tauren of Kalimdor, were a nomadic people, but they were even more savage. Perhaps when the Tauren armies arrived, they could subdue these distant relatives.
At nightfall, Galen and his group arrived at a mountain in southwestern Kun-Lai Summit: Kota Peak.
This was the largest Pandaren settlement in the southwest, and many refugees who had lost their homes due to the Yaungol's rampages had come here for refuge.
In addition to the Pandaren, Galen also saw many earth elementals selling their goods here.
Kota Camp was already overcrowded, so Galen didn't choose to squeeze in. Instead, they took shelter in a small cave not far from the camp.
The owner of this small cave was a Pandaren named Yin Yong, known for his skill in taming wild animals and training them for battle.
Yin Yong was reclusive and initially disagreed with Galen's request to stay. However, when the offspring of the four August Celestials appeared, the trainer immediately changed his mind, not only agreeing to let Galen and his group stay but also offering to help Galen check the little ones' health.
Having found a place to stay, Galen and his group could settle down. The children took their cloud serpents and the offspring of the four August Celestials to find Yin Yong in the cave. Alleria and Sylvanas went out hunting, while Old Chen and Zhou Zhuo volunteered to take on the task of cooking dinner. In terms of making delicious food, Old Chen and Zhou Zhuo were quite skilled.
While Galen sat down to use his mental power to explore the various outposts of Azeroth, the last female Pandaren in the group, Yalia, chose a rock, climbed up, and sat there cross-legged, closing her eyes and focusing her mind, with her hands resting on her knees, beginning to meditate.
Old Chen, while selecting stones to build a stove and iron pot, kept his eyes glued to Yalia, and couldn't help but smile.
However, he was afraid that his smile would be too obvious and be noticed by Galen and Zhou Zhuo, so he was always cautious.
Unfortunately, Galen had already seen everything. As someone who had been there, how could he not know what Old Chen was up to?
He probably had been deeply attracted to the young lady from the first time he saw her!
For dinner, they ate two roasted whole sheep and vegetables purchased from the earth elementals. After everyone finished eating, they returned to the cave to prepare bedding for rest. During this time, the observant Galen noticed Old Chen secretly inviting Yalia out.
Galen immediately perked up and quietly followed them. The Windrunner sisters glanced at each other, they were also gossipy, but they had already noticed Old Chen's intentions, and the two children were already drowsy, so they didn't follow.
However, Zhou Zhuo, this shameless single dog, saw Galen go out and curiously followed.
Fortunately, Galen noticed in time and put a silence enchantment and levitation spell on him, so that Old Chen, this top-notch monk, didn't realize that his date was being spied on.
In the snowy ground where the moon and stars were sparse, Old Chen and Yalia walked side by side.
"Over the years, I have been traveling and studying. I feel that every time I pack my bags and travel, it is to leave the opportunity to enjoy comfort to others!"
Old Chen looked at Kun-Lai Snow Mountain, and for a moment he felt emotional. He did not deny his love for travel and adventure. Others, including his brother Cheng Bo, might only crave travel because they were afraid of restraint, but he was an exception.
Yalia heard Old Chen's words and showed a strange expression, but more of it was a smile: "Master Stormstout, are we going to have another headless conversation?"
"Sorry, sorry, Yalia, sometimes there are thousands of thoughts in my head, and I don't know how to describe them for a while." Old Chen recalled his experience, and he already belonged to the Scarlet Crusade, no longer a loner.
"I like Pandaria…"
"But you just can't stay here for the rest of your life?" Yalia hit the nail on the head, directly stating the reason for Old Chen's thousands of thoughts.
"Well, that's true. Pandaria is just a stop in my life. Maybe I will come back, but it may be a bit difficult to stay here all the time!"
Old Chen also had some sorrow for a while, one side was loyalty, the other was love, it was difficult to choose.
However, Old Chen knew that it was not impossible for him to get married, after all, Galen was a very good boss and would not restrict the private lives of his followers.
Yalia didn't know the reason, but she still smiled slightly and enlightened Old Chen: "Master Stormstout, many times you will suddenly stop your work, or when you watch others set off to the mountains, you will fall into a daze. When you focus your attention on a certain place, you are as focused as when you are brewing fine wine!"
"Did you notice?"
Old Chen's heart beat a little faster after hearing this. Has Yalia been observing me all the time?
Oh my god!
"When a person shines because of his ideals, it is difficult for me not to notice him." Yalia's eyes looked at Old Chen, a little flickering and wandering, and then continued to say with a smile: "Would you like to hear how I see you when you are brewing wine?"
"I'd love to hear the details…"
The two talked very happily, and even walked out of the snow and into a valley.
"Tsk tsk tsk, I thought it was just Old Chen's unrequited love, I didn't expect these two people to be you understand my ulterior motives, I understand your feigned coyness!" Galen smiled slyly.
"If it's mutual love, then it's mutual love, what do you mean you understand my ulterior motives, I understand your feigned coyness, we are cultured people, Galen, don't say it so vulgarly, cultured people should be gentle!" Zhou Zhuo retorted to Galen in the silence enchantment.
"Bah! What do you need gentleness for, what Old Chen wants is love, speaking of which, Old Zhou, have you tasted love? You are still a single dog... a single panda, right?"
Galen teased Zhou Zhuo in return.
"The heart of a Lorewalker is not on love."
Zhou Zhuo slowly stroked his mustache.
"Knowledge is my armor, and the quill is my sword. Even the history of Pandaria is shrouded in mist for us. The mission of the Lorewalkers is to bring history to light, dispelling the mist piece by piece. This requires us to tirelessly explore the clues left by the ancients and use wisdom to reveal the truth."
Oh ho, is this the legendary man who has no woman in his heart, and draws his sword as a natural god?
However, Zhou Zhuo's words changed in the next moment: "But when I was young, my parents arranged a marriage for me. Perhaps in a few years, after I complete the Lorewalker's journey, I will return to the Jade Forest to get married! Then, like Galen, I will have two more bear cubs, and my life will be complete!"
"Oh ho! Then I congratulate you in advance, Lao Zhou." Galen laughed inwardly, "But after you leave Pandaria, Azeroth still has Kalimdor, the Eastern Continent, Northrend, and other continents waiting for your exploration. I can even take you out of this planet and explore alien worlds. This process cannot be completed in a few years. Are you sure you want to get married first?"
The happiness that Zhou Zhuo had just exuded was instantly pierced by Galen, and he was entangled for a moment, obviously considering Galen's suggestion...
"Alright, let's not dwell on this issue. At worst, you can learn from me and take your wife and children on a trip together, satisfying your desire for exploration and being with your loved one."
Galen stopped teasing the Lorewalker and instead asked other questions: "How much do you know about this Aria?"
Regarding this female Pandaren priest, Galen only caught a glimpse of her during the Rite of the Burning Blossom, and she also served as a follower of the priest profession. Galen knew nothing about other information.
"Aria Sungazer is a priest born in a fishing village called Zhuojin Village on the northern coastline of Kun-Lai Summit. Her father is a fisherman who owns his own fishing boat and lives a wealthy and carefree life."
"It's just that later, as time went by, Master Aria discovered in her growth that she was a Pandaren Reincarnated Spirit!"
"Reincarnated Spirit?" Galen interrupted Zhou Zhuo. He had only heard of the term Reincarnated Spirit in Tibetan Buddhism. He didn't expect it to exist in Pandaria as well?
"Reincarnated Spirits are also known as Living Buddhas, a group of special children. Once discovered, they can directly join the Shado-Pan without having to undergo the Rite of the Burning Blossom."
Zhou Zhuo tried hard to recall some of the information he knew: "These young children all possess wisdom beyond their years. Some say that they are young on the surface, but in reality, ancient souls reside in their bodies."
Galen nodded, indicating that he accepted the setting of the Reincarnated Spirit...
"Originally, Aria had already shown her talent when she was young. Two fishermen in Zhuojin Village proposed marriage to her family. Because of this, two children who were six years older than Aria began to compete for her affection, from friendly competition at the beginning to sharp and mean remarks at the end."
"The wise Master Aria, although young, saw the key to it. So she packed up simply and quietly left one morning, embarking on the road to the Shado-Pan Monastery!"
"Wow! A remarkable woman! She and Old Chen, this remarkable man, are simply a perfect match. I agree to their marriage!"
While Galen and Zhou Zhuo were secretly discussing, they saw Old Chen in the distance bending down and skillfully picking a large cluster of yellow flowers from the rocks. He handed this cluster of flowers, which exuded a refreshing fragrance, to Aria!
"Wow, Old Chen is so good at it!"
Aria reached out and took the flowers, taking a deep breath.
"There is a similar flower in Durotar that always grows after the rain. I call them 'Where the Heart Leads'."
Old Chen looked at Aria seriously and continued: "However, my troll friends don't call these flowers that. They believe that flowers represent a comfortable life, and not being prepared for danger in times of peace will lead their tribe to decline."
"Trolls? Are they the Zandalari trolls who are allies with the Mogu?" Aria poured the cluster of yellow flowers into the small bag at her waist and carefully tightened the opening. "I don't like Zandalari trolls. They are the enemies of the Pandaren."
"No, Vol'jin is not a Zandalari troll. They are the Darkspear tribe, belonging to the Gurubashi trolls. He and the Zandalari trolls are not on the same side, and they are currently at war with the Zandalari trolls. I just don't know how the battle is going now!"
Old Chen's tone was a little strange. Aria thought he was worried about his friend: "Don't worry, your friend will be fine. The war will eventually be won, and we will also defeat the invading Zandalari trolls!"
"Oh, no, no, no, I'm not worried about their safety. This war, and all the enemies of Pandaria, will be defeated, because we have Grand Warlord Galen!"
"Grand Warlord Galen, he is indeed a very remarkable person. In our past millennia, only Emperor Shaohao, besides him, has been able to gain the favor of the four Celestials at the same time!"
Favor?
Old Chen sneered in his heart, does my boss need to gain the favor of the four Celestials?
Just kidding, I think the four Celestials need our Grand Warlord's help instead!
Old Chen didn't discuss Galen behind his back, but instead chatted with Aria about family topics.
Because of Old Chen's timely rescue, the fleeing people of Zhuojin Village did not suffer too many casualties, including Aria's parents, young sister, and elderly grandmother, who are now settled around the Temple of the White Tiger. Perhaps they will also enter the Vale of Eternal Blossoms for refuge this time.
However, Old Chen keenly noticed that there was a gap between Aria and her family.
Aria sighed and said slowly: "They have their own lives, Chen. Only my departure can bring them peace!"
"Is that really so? Aria," Old Chen looked at the mouth of the valley, seemingly crossing the mountains and returning to the cave: "As long as Li Li leaves my sight, I will start to worry about her. Your parents are the same."
"Perhaps your family would rather see you all the time, perhaps your little sister will come to you to tell you little secrets, your mother will urge you to get married sooner, perhaps there will be complaints, but more of it will be happiness, the happiness of a family reunion!"
Old Chen's words made Aria silent. Then, she looked at Old Chen with burning eyes: "It seems that the quiet night has made you even wiser, Chen!"
From the Stormstout Brewmaster at the beginning to Chen now, it can be seen that the two have already opened their hearts.
"Then what about you, Chen? What is your happiness and joy?"
"Whether it's a quiet night or a noisy night, whether I have a cup of tea or wine or cold water in my hand, as long as I am accompanied by close friends, I will feel peace and contentment!"
After listening, Aria turned her face to the other side shyly, but did not hide the smile on her face.
Galen and Zhou Zhuo had already opened their mouths wide!
Old Chen, you have this side too!
Galen's family rode yaks across the Kun-Lai Summit highlands, with Zhou Zhuo, Old Chen, and Yalia following behind on tigers trained by the Shado-Pan.
As they approached the southern foothills, they could see a magnificent, golden gate in the distance at the mouth of the valley!
That was the Gate of the August Celestials!
Galen tightened the yak's reins, stopping it on a small hill, from where he could see the entire Gate of the August Celestials.
A layer of golden mist enveloped the entire gate, which had three tall archways.
The left and right archways were each blocked by a giant mogu statue, while only the ancient, gilded central gate remained tightly shut.
From its appearance, the protrusions on the gate were the key to the entire seal.
"Oh, what magnificent statues! But Father, why are there mogu figures placed outside the Gate of the August Celestials? Isn't this supposed to be pandaren territory?"
Legolas had a talent for becoming a ranger; his small eyes had already clearly seen the appearance of the Gate of the August Celestials.
"Good child, actually, the Vale of Eternal Blossoms was also the capital of the mogu empire tens of thousands of years ago."
After Lei Shen established the mogu empire, he placed the empire's capital on Thunder Mountain in northwestern Pandaria, and built a magnificent palace on the peak of Thunder Mountain.
Later, after Lei Shen fell, the succeeding mogu emperors disliked the dark and gloomy style of Thunder Mountain, and moved the capital to the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, the origin of the mogu.
They enslaved the pandaren, hozen, jinyu, and yaungol to build them magnificent palaces.
Among them, the intelligent pandaren were the chief engineers, while the other races were mere laborers moving bricks.
Later, after the pandaren overthrew the mogu rule, the magnanimous pandaren preserved all these palaces and statues, instead of staging a scene similar to the burning of the Epang Palace.
In fact, the mogu can only be considered the second masters of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.
The true masters of this area are the Lei.
Nearly a hundred thousand years ago, the strongest Old God, killed by Mannoroth, left behind a still-beating Dark Heart, which was the source of the Old God's power.
Y'shaarj was considered to have evolved to a near-complete Old God; his parasitism of the planet Azeroth was so deep that the titans almost killed Azeroth's world-soul when they crushed his body.
If they recklessly cleared this heart, the already severely injured Azeroth might have fallen along with it, so Lei accepted the titans' mission to seal the Dark Heart in the south of ancient Kalimdor, which is now the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.
The titans originally had two plans: the first was to wait for the Old God to automatically abandon its connection with itself and the world, so they could easily break free.
The second was to create an artificial Old God to study the characteristics of these void creatures.
Later developments are clear to everyone: the titans never descended on Azeroth a third time, and the laboratory plan was thus delayed, with endless hidden dangers.
Lei established a base in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, guarding the Dark Heart of Y'shaarj, during which he invited the Life-Binder Freya south to bless the valley.
Among them, the carrier of Freya's blessing was the spring water in this valley, which contained vast life energy, and from then on, the Vale of Eternal Blossoms became vibrant, and all things grew vigorously and never withered.
The Valley of the Four Winds was able to become the pandaren's granary because of the irrigation from the magical river water, the source of which was the Golden Lotus Falls on the cliff, the water flow from the Vale of Eternal Blossoms leaking out through a subterranean river, thus creating the most fertile land in Azeroth.
Not only that, but in the original timeline, Galen Hellscream dug out the Heart of Y'shaarj and directly threw the heart into the sacred spring in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, and the life energy within directly activated the heart, and Y'shaarj's consciousness was also revived, which shows the power of this life energy.
Galen's storytelling ability was average, far inferior to Zhou Zhuo, a leader among the lorewalkers, but the children on the yak's back were still listening with rapt attention.
This was because Galen knew too many secrets, and casually pulled out some ancient secrets, which were all things that even the lorewalkers didn't know.
Lili had even laughed at Zhou Zhuo for this.
"Ah, the Great Dragon is here!"
While everyone was still immersed in the ancient secrets, Legolas interrupted them again.
Galen looked up and saw that Yu'lon the Jade Serpent was flying in from the sky and slowly landing on the square in front of the Gate of the August Celestials.
The square was already full of refugees from all over, and besides the pandaren, there were also many jinyu mixed in.
Niuzao the Black Ox, Chi-Ji the Red Crane, and Xuen the White Tiger also manifested their true forms and stood in front of the Gate of the August Celestials.
It seemed that Yu'lon the Azure Dragon was the last to arrive.
Previously, the four August Celestials used their customary human forms to show their closeness to Galen.
This was the first time Galen had seen the four Celestials gathered together.
Xuen was crouching in front of the main gate of the Gate of the August Celestials like a big cat.
His body was blue and white, covered with dark blue stripes, and the power of wind and thunder swirled around him.
Chi-Ji stood to Xuen's left, the power of fire surrounding him, setting off his beautiful feathers to be incomparably gorgeous.
Niuzao was on the right, his entire body covered in thick black fur, and the long white hair on his neck and abdomen radiated a jade-like light.
He had four black horns on his head, and the beautiful curves were full of piercing power.
After Yu'lon landed, the people knelt on one knee to give this wise Celestial a great gift.
Yu'lon turned her head and saw that Galen had arrived, and then began the ritual.
"In the name of Yu'lon the Azure Serpent, I declare the seal broken!"
"In the name of Xuen the White Tiger, I declare the seal broken!"
"In the name of Niuzao the Black Ox, I declare the seal broken!"
"In the name of Chi-Ji the Red Crane, I declare the seal broken!"
As the four August Celestials cast their spells, a force converged in the keyhole in the center of the Gate of the August Celestials.
As the mechanism turned, the Gate of the August Celestials was slowly pulled open, and a golden light spilled out from the gate!
"Rumble..."
"People of Pandaria, our land is now facing a crisis. No matter what, this land in front of us will be opened to the outside world!"
In Yu'lon's gentle voice, the Gate of the August Celestials opened, and the Vale of Eternal Blossoms was opened to everyone!
The four Celestials took the lead in entering it, and the pandaren people also lined up in an orderly manner under the organization of the Golden Lotus and the Shado-Pan, and Galen and his party followed at the back of the line.
As the yaks entered the gate, gusts of gentle warm wind blew out from the valley covered with golden grass leaves, and leaves and petals fell from the treetops, and the air was filled with a refreshing fragrance.
Galen felt the power of life and the elements from this breeze.
This valley, because of the seal of the four Celestials, had the spring of life nourishing it for thousands of years, so that it had such vitality!